Ultrasaurus
The Ultrasaurus is a type of Zoid, a race of mechanical lifeforms from the fictional Zoids universe. Overview The Ultrasaurus is an Ultrasaurus-type Zoid, created by the Helic Republic, and used during the various wars on Zi. The ultrasaurus is one of the most powerful zoids ever created. It was designed by the Republic to be their "ultimate weapon", a Zoid capable of defeating any opponent it faced and ending the war. Bigger than anything that had been previously created; the Ultrasaurus mounts a staggering array of weapons capable of levelling almost any target. The Zoid's main weapons are a quartet of 360mm Supercannons, similar to those used by the Gojulas. These long ranged weapons are capable of raining down incredible destruction on targets from a great distance. The Zoid is incredibly heavily armoured; constructed to carry some of the thickest armour mounted on any Zoid. This is a necessity, as the Ultrasaurus is ponderously slow and incredibly clumsy, unable to evade attacks. However, the Zoid's massive arsenal makes attacking it a dubious prospect at best. The Ultrasaurus is equipped with a trio of smaller hover vehicles that can be used for reconnaissance and exploration independently of the main Zoid. Additionally, the Zoid is equipped with a sophisticated communications array; allowing it to act as a mobile command centre. The Zoid is amphibious; capable of operating both on land and in water, and can completely submerge if required. Battle Story appearances The Ultrasaurus was first deployed in ZAC 2039 and was used by the Republic to devastating effect. The Zoid's massive firepower allowed it to smash through the Zenebas Empire's forces, routing their armies and allowing the Republic to take the Zenebas capital. In the process of a few months, the Ultrasaurus was able to end a war that had lasted for over fifty years. When the Zenebas Empire returned in ZAC 2042, they were prepared for the Zoid. The empire had developed the massive Deathsaurer, a Zoid created specifically to destroy the Ultrasaurus. With its thick armour, the Deathsaurer was able to wade through the Ultrasaurus' fire, then destroy the Zoid with a single blast from its Charged Particle Cannon. Much of the Ultrasaurus force was wiped out, the rest falling back to the Eastern end of the continent. With the deployment of the Madthunder, the Ultrasaurus was largely relegated to support duties. However, with the invasion of the Dark Continent of Nyx, the Zoids were used to transport troops to the continent. Many were lost to the Heldigunners and Deadborders that protected the Guylos Empire's coasts. Most of the surviving Zoids were destroyed during the meteor disaster of ZAC 2056. A handful of Ultrasaurus survived, and were kept in reserve by the Helic Republic. With the revival of the Deathsaurer in ZAC 2099, the remaining Zoids were reactivated and pressed into action. Using their long-range cannons to bombard the enemy, the Ultrasaurus was essential in forcing back the Guylos Forces on the Western Continent. The Ultrasaurus was then used during the Republic's invasion of the Dark Continent. En route to the continent, the Zoids were attacked by the Eisen Dragoon's Maccurtis and Demantis Zoids. The survivors reached the Dark Continent, however, only to be faced with the rest of the Eisen Dragoons. Media appearances Anime Guardian Force The first appearance of the Ultrasaurus is in the later episodes of Zoids: Guardian Force. The Ultrasaurus was part of a combined military project between the Republic and the Guylos Empire, instigated at the same time as the Guardian Force itself, although the Zoid's existence was known to the Republic for roughly ten years prior. In the event of a devastating attack against one of the two nations by a mutual enemy, the Ultrasaurus would lead the Republican branch of the retaliatory offensive. When the Death Stinger, under the control of the Ancient Zoidian Hiltz, destroyed the Republic's capital, New Helic City, this plan was put into action. All available and surviving Republican forces were withdrawn to the Republic base at Wyndine Lake. Upon arrival, the survivors were loaded into the Ultrasaurus, which then departed for a secret weapons research base in the Empire. The Zoid was only armed with anti-air and anti-torpedo defence weapons upon its activation, requiring the visit to the Imperial base to receive its primary armament. Rather than receiving the standard quad Supercannons, the Zoid was armed with a single, massive Gravity Cannon. This weapon had a caliber of sixteen metres, and fired shells that create an intense localized gravitational field on impact. The Ultrasaurus's gravity cannon succeeded in fatally damaging the Death Stinger, but was ineffective against the revived Death Saurer - which crippled the Ultrasaurus with a charged particle beam. As a last-ditch measure, the heavily damaged zoid fired Van’s Blade Liger out of the cannon, which succeeded in destroying the Death Saurer. New Century Zero An Ultrasaurus wreck was the finish line of the Royal Cup. This specific Zoid was apparently equipped with the same Gravity Cannon used against the Death Stinger and Death Saurer in the final episodes of Zoids: Guardian Force Other Ultrasauruses were used by the Zoids Battle Commission in Zoids: New Century Zero as mobile command centres to monitor and control battles. These Ultrasauruses mounted four smaller cannons - the weapons configuration seen on the Ultrasaurus model, but scaled up in size (See Size Discrepancy below). The was only time when an Ultrasaurus did any fighting was when one of Harry's Whale Kings is stolen and ended up facing an Ultrasaurus, which easily defeats the Whale King. The ZBC Ultrasaurus was also seen utilizing a shield, to protect itself from a Charged Particle Cannon blast. Size Discrepancy The Ultrasaurus portrayed in the anime series' is several orders of magnitude larger than that of the Battle Story. Though the Gravity Cannon is described as being some 50 meters in length, no actual measurement for the Zoid itself is given in the series, and the animation is rather inconsistent, with different sections of the Zoid being depicted at different sizes. Several references to the general size of the Zoid are given; *Fifty large Zoids could feasibly fit into the hangar shown in the series. The Western dub implies that there are several more such hangars. *The two aircraft catapults on the flight deck are capable of launching a pair of Storm Sworders in very close succession. This discrepancy has led to a misconception that the Ultrasaurus model is equally large, with the stated size of the model being at least equal to a large car. Video games The Ultrasaurus appears in the various Zoids video games. The most significant of these appearances is when an Ultrasaurus is used by Terra Geist as the final Empire-campaign boss in Zoids Battle Legends. A custom Ultrasaurus also appears in the game Zoids: Saga II named King Phalanx. Models Original Japanese Release *Assembly required. (Snap-together, no glue needed. Scissors or X-acto knife recommended for trimming off excess plastic bits.) *The model's colours are moulded into the plastic, and it does not need any paint. The Ultrasaurus kit comes on six frames, along with a battery-powered motor with light, a clear frame, thirty-two rubber caps, a frame of washers, eight small chromed gold pilots, and label sheets. The Ultrasaurus is moulded in light blue, dull blue and dull grey, with grey weapons and a smoke-coloured canopy. The Ultrasaurus' construction is reasonably involved and complex, mainly due to the Zoid's size. The Ultrasaurus uses a pair of "C" sized batteries for motion. Once activated, the Zoid walks forwards, the head raising and lowering, and the jaws chomping. A pair of "AA" batteries provide power for the Zoid's eyes, which flash on and off when activated. The Zoid's weapons can be manually positioned, while a trio of small vehicles (one stored on the back, one in the chest and one in the head) can also be removed. The Ultrasaurus is one of the largest Zoids kits ever released, comparable to the King Gojulas, Gilvader and Madthunder. Only the Seismosaurus is longer than it. Like several other Zoids of the time, the Ultrasaurus could use a number of different optional weapons that were included in the Republic Customise Set. The Ultrasaurus was released in 1986, and was produced up until about 1989. Original European Release A version of the Ultrasaurus was planned as a part of the Original European Release, as a part of the Red Mutant Faction. Commonly known as Ultrasaurus Red, this version was recoloured in red, black and silver with a red canopy, and was seen in the 1987 TOMY product catalogue. The Zoid's actual release is unclear; there are several unverified reports of sightings in toy stores during the 1980s, but no examples of a production model have ever been verified. Only an incomplete one was spotted on auction in 2003, without possibility of proof that it was a real one. Technozoids A version of the Ultrasaurus was released in the U.S. and Canada as part of the Technozoids line, under the name of Battlesaurus. This version was recoloured in white, bronze, and black. Zoids 2 The Ultrasaurus was also released in the UK and Europe as a part of the Zoids 2 line. This version was recoloured in black, light grey and chrome silver. New Japanese Release The Ultrasaurus was re-released as a part of the New Japanese Release in 2000. This version was recoloured in light grey, dull grey and black with an orange canopy and grey pilots. In addition, the design was somewhat changed, with the eyes now running off the main motor. The second battery pack was retained, albeit gutted of its electronics. Despite its use in the anime, no "Customise Part" kit of the Gravity Cannon was ever made though several fans have customized their own versions which can be found in some Zoids forums. The Ultrasaurus remained in production until about 2004. New American Release The Ultrasaurus was released in the New American Release in 2004 as a Toys 'R Us Exclusive, and was one of the last items released in the NAR. This version of the Ultrasaurus was based on the NJR version, but incorporated several mould changes. The axles that drive the legs were lengthened, as were the pegs that connect the legs to the body, making the Zoid somewhat wider. This modification was done to make the model more stable, and less prone to tipping over. Footnotes # Webpage on one collector's quest to find an Ultrasaurus Red kit Category:Zoids Category:Sauropod-Type Zoids Category:Helic Republic Zoids